Marlin is a prized game fish, mostly because it offers a big challenge to the angler as it fights long and hard.
1. By Peter Ganz
The Atlantic Blue Marlin caught by JPeter Ganz was estimated to be 1,400 lb. It was caught off the waters of the islands of Azores, a Portuguese archipelago – near the Faial Island. This fish was not hauled in but was tagged, revived, and released back to the waters. For sure, this fish is among the largest caught.
2. By Jacky Delbrel
Jacky Delbrel caught a 1,189 lb Atlantic blue marlin, again in the part of the Atlantic Ocean in Azores, near the island of Faial. This catch holds the IGFA 80-pound world record for Atlantic Blue Marlin.
3. By Jean-Paul Richard
A 1,157-lb Atlantic marlin was caught by Jean-Paul Richard in Madeira. Caught along with this thousand-pounder was slightly smaller thousand-pounder weighing 1,028 lbs.
4. By Jack Harrington
It was in June 26, 1974 that the first thousand-pounder marlin was caught off the Oregon Inlet by Jack Harrington. Among the largest caught to date, this is worth mentioning especially since not too many thousand pounders have been caught. This marlin weighed 1,142 lb.
5. By Tracy Melton
Tracy Melton caught an Atlantic marlin weighing 1,083 lbs in Madeira. It was caught with an 80-pound tackle.
Of course, there are also plenty of marlins caught that are not listed here but could be heavier than these. There are also talks of fish weighing as much as 2,000 lbs which were almost caught.
Florida Bill Fish- the Marlin, Sailfish, Sword Fish, Spear Fish and Saw Fish
In fishing, it is extremely important for anglers to know what types of fish there are in a certain location, like Florida. While tuna is one of the most abundant species in Florida, there is also another species of fish that thrives in the Florida waters just as much. These other species are known as bill fish.
Bill fish is a common term applied to large predatory fish that are known for typically being large in size with long sword-like bills. Some of the most popular bill fish that have been identified include sailfish and marlin. In addition, these species can be found in the migratory, pelagic, and all oceans.
In Florida, however, there are specific species that are found in abundance in its waters. Some of the bill fish found in Florida includes the following:
Sailfish –is a bill fish that is blue to grey in color and has an erectile dorsal fin which stands for its sail.
Blue marlin – also known as the Atlantic blue marlin, is a popular game fish and has high fat content.
White marlin – is an elongated fish with an upper jaw that forms a spear and has dark blue to chocolate-brown color.
Striped marlin – a species of marlin known to be one of the biggest game fish, weighing at 190 kg.
While there are other fishes that are also found in Florida, a number of anglers travel to Florida for a chance to catch bill fish since these fishes are sometimes deemed a bit aggressive and hard to capture making it more challenging for them. To catch a billfish is one of those memorable moments in an angler’s record that beats capturing the often common snappers.
Come explore a iOutdoor Fishing Adventure on your next visit to Florida setting kite on your favorite offshore species!
